The Story of Rin
by Sayori-chan
Summary: Sesshomaru is an emotionless, cold-hearted demon. But what happens when he meets a mysterious young woman who completely changes his outlook on things? This might seem misleading, but I swear it does tie in with Rin eventually.
1. Silent Ambush

**The Story of Rin**

Chapter 1

            The sun rose over a small house on the outskirts of a dense forest. Dawn found the young miko Yukari standing in her front yard practicing her sword fighting. She held a long katana sword, its blade glittering and sharp in the bright morning light.

            Yukari stood unmoving, staring off into the distance, waging an inner battle for peace. It was her custom to train for a few hours each morning, and usually the clarity and concentration came to her naturally. But not today. She sheathed her sword and closed her eyes. Yukari sat down on the dusty ground to meditate, hoping she could find tranquility and focus somewhere within herself.  Not today. She struck the ground in frustration, unable to clear her mind of the terrible, distracting images. She clenched her fists, remembering.

***Flashback!***

            She walked as if in a dream, everything familiar but reeking with a strangeness she couldn't name. She passed the outlying houses of her village and could see nothing amiss. But it was so quiet. Then she came upon the village square, and she just had to turn away. Her throat tightened, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. There was so much blood…

*******

            Yukari shook her head as if to clear the memories from her mind, but deep down she knew that nothing could erase them. Those images from her past were burned in her brain and etched into her heart. She turned abruptly, meaning to go into the house, but felt a strange aura approaching. Only seconds after the sensations registered, Yukari felt a white-hot, searing pain in her left shoulder, and then everything went black.

            When Yukari awoke she was lying in a pool of blood she assumed was her own. Her shoulder was numb, but she remembered feeling pain there before she lost consciousness. She brought her right hand up to examine the injury. It was deep: a hole punched through her shoulder not quite to her back, but at least the bleeding had stopped. She wasn't worried.

            Her mind satisfied as to the extent of her injuries, she looked around to assess her situation. _Where the hell am I? _she thought._ What brought me here? _She was sitting against the wall in what seemed to be a deep stone pit. It was dark, but not too dark for her to see. Nonetheless, she felt him before she saw him.

            _Youkai_, her instincts screamed, and she tensed her muscles in anticipation of an attack. But upon closer examination of the man behind her, she realized he was definitely in no state to attack her. Chained to the wall, the silver-haired man seemed to be unconscious. Blood trickled onto his face from a wound on his head, and he had an injury similar to her own through his right shoulder. She crept silently closer to see if his wounds were serious; they weren't. With healing powers similar to her own, full-blooded youkai rarely remained injured for very long. She could sense that his demon blood had already gone to work healing his body, and knew it was only a matter of time before he regained consciousness. Knowing this, she backed away. _If he wakes up and wants to fight I'm in trouble, she thought. Miko powers or not, I can't defeat him while I'm injured. _She settled down at the opposite side of the pit to wait, and promptly fell asleep. 


	2. Uncomfortable Circumstances, Strong Emot...

Chapter 2

            When Yukari awoke some hours later, she could see that the youkai was awake and staring at her. Uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny, she looked away and reexamined her shoulder. _Damn! she cried silently. Why am I not healing properly? I'll never escape from this stupid pit with an injured shoulder, let alone fight whoever put me in here. _

            Sesshomaru had awakened only minutes before. His head ached, but he could feel his youkai blood mending his injuries. He could smell the human female sleeping across from him: she was young, and he could smell the blood from the puncture in her shoulder. She smelled distinctly human, but there was an unusual smell about her. _She smells like a miko, he thought_. _And a powerful one at that.__ My injuries had better heal faster. Even I, a strong and powerful youkai, can't kill a fully-trained priestess while I'm injured. _But for the moment he was safe: she was as injured and as incapacitated as he was.

            The miko opened her eyes and found Sesshomaru looking at her. A self-conscious blush rose in her cheeks, causing her to look away. She stood up to examine the stone walls of the pit, and he was able to get a good look at her. She was dressed in typical miko fashion: loose white blouse with flowing sleeves, long, baggy black pants, and wooden sandals. An empty sword belt hung at her waist. Her long, blue-black hair was woven into a wide braid that reached past her hips. _She is the most striking looking female I have ever seen, he thought. _As soon as he had that thought he felt disgusted with himself. _How can I admit to being attracted to a mere human?! She is not even worthy to serve a great and powerful Youkai Lord such as myself. _Thinking this, he gave a self-satisfied smirk and turned away from the miko. 

            Yukari felt the man turn his gaze away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. His stare made her feel very self-aware. She leaned back against the wall and stared at him through her thick black lashes; she didn't want him to know that she was studying him. _Inu__ youkai, _her instincts told her. His long silver hair was blood-streaked and tangled, but reached to the backs of his knees. There was a blue crescent moon mark on his forehead, and two red streaks lined each of his cheekbones under his eyes. His eyes: they were intense and piercing, golden amber in color, and they glowed faintly in the dark. Yukari looked away. _He's handsome for a youkai, she admitted to herself._

They sat there in silence for a long while, sneaking glances at each other without the other noticing. Finally, uncomfortable in the prolonged silence, Yukari spoke to him.

            "How did you get here?" she asked.

            Her words echoed in the stone chamber, unanswered. He stared at her disdainfully, and she returned his gaze defiantly. Still he didn't answer.

            "Well you don't have to be a jerk about it," she said irritably.  

They sat in silence for another long while. Yukari was getting frustrated with the youkai, but decided to try again.

            "You're not even going to tell me your name?" she asked.

            "I am Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands!" he proclaimed.

            The girl snorted, and he looked at her in surprise. Seeing his scowl, she began to laugh.

            "I'm sorry," she said. "You just sounded so pompous. I couldn't help myself."

            "Watch your tongue, wench," he growled. His eyes began to glow faintly red. "If I weren't chained to this wall you would be in pieces right now. How dare you insult me?"

            "You insulted me first," she snapped. "Besides, you're obviously not as powerful as you think you are. Otherwise, why would you be in this pit with me? You're just an arrogant little puppy."

            He stuck his chin out, looking offended and furious at the same time. Her words had definitely stung him. "I refuse to speak to you again, as you are a human and therefore beneath me," he stated flatly. 

            "Fine by me, mutt," she replied.

            The pit grew quiet again. Just as Yukari was about to fall asleep again, her senses warned her of a demon's aura approaching. _It is the same aura I felt this morning, she realized. _The aura felt vaguely familiar, though, like something from the past that she should remember but didn't. _Why is this demon familiar to me? she wondered._

At that moment, an unidentifiable demon appeared in front of the imprisoned pair without making a sound.

            _At least I know why I didn't hear it coming this morning, Yukari thought._


	3. Reawakened Memories

Chapter 3

            Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he studied the newcomer. It was a type of demon he had never encountered before, but it appeared relatively weak. True, he hadn't even smelled its approach, but could such an insignificant-looking demon such as this capture Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands?

Yukari crouched into a fighter's stance. She studied the demon carefully. It had shiny green-grey skin and a tall, slender, fragile-looking body. It had skinny arms that ended long hands tipped with shiny silver claws. Its tail was also tipped with a shiny silver claw. She noticed four knobs on the demon's back, reminding her of folded wings. 

_What the hell is this thing? she wondered. _She sent a small thread of her power out to test the demon's aura: her infallible instincts told her that this was a mira youkai, a mirror demon. Her eyes widened as she instinctively backed away. Mira youkai were very dangerous creatures, although they appeared relatively weak. Yukari's mind raced as she struggled to remember anything she had ever learned about this type of demon. _The knobs on its back aren't wings, she remembered. They're poisonous, claw-tipped appendages. But what kind of poison is it?_ She couldn't remember. The voice of her miko teachers at the village temple came back to her._ The tail of a mirror demon can shoot sharp barbs at its enemies, and mirror demons can appear out of nowhere and disappear without a trace. But the most dangerous thing about mira youkai is that they reflect themselves, and than you have two identically powerful demons to contend with. _

_We're doomed! she cried silently._

_The thing that really bothers me, though, is that I can't sense this demon until it's right on me, she thought. Why can't I sense it? And why does its aura feel so familiar to me?_

Yukari glanced over at Sesshomaru. His wounds appeared almost healed, but he was still chained to the wall; he would be of no use to her in a fight.

"Who are you, and why have you taken us prisoner?" she yelled, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the miko yell at the demon. _There's more to her than I originally imagined, he thought._ He laughed silently to himself. _She has hidden depths…_

The youkai laughed at Yukari's brave words. "We are the Demon Hokkaido," it said. "We have taken you prisoner because it pleased us to do so." 

He walked over to Sesshomaru and drew a sharp silver claw down his cheek, leaving a small scratch that began to bleed. Sesshomaru growled deep in his throat, and his eyes began to glow faintly red again.

"How could we pass up the opportunity to chain up the Lord of the Western Lands like the dog he truly is?" Hokkaido said. "You aren't as strong as your arrogance proclaims, Sesshomaru-chan!" 

Yukari glanced at the demon lord, who did not return her gaze. She returned her attention to Hokkaido.

"But what about me?" she persisted. "What do you want of me?"

The mira youkai disappeared, only to reappear suddenly only inches away from Yukari. She automatically stepped backwards, but Hokkaido grabbed her face and stared deep into her eyes. As she gazed back into the youkai's reflective silver eyes, she felt herself falling into a dense fog. Through the haze she heard Hokkaido's voice whisper into her mind.

_"Do you not remember us then, miko?"_

***Flashback!***

Yukari walked slowly into the village square, hoping that her eyes were deceiving her. She knew that they weren't. As she walked forward she had to step over the dead bodies of the people she had known all her life. Walking closer to her home, the village temple, she could sense a demon's aura lingering in the air. When she reached the temple she fell to her knees in despair. She wept silently, and the flames from the temple were reflected in her tears as she helplessly watched her home burn…

* * *

Sesshomaru watched the girl's eyes roll back into her head as she collapsed. Hokkaido laughed uproariously and disappeared. His maniacal laughter echoed in the stone pit long after he had gone.


	4. Escape, Walking Away

A/N: I tried to do the disclaimers earlier, but I guess I didn't do it right cause it didn't show up. Oh well, better late than never, right? By the way, I PROMISE that this will tie in with Rin. It will make sense by the end, I swear. Just stay tuned…

Disclaimer: I am a poor college student who owns nothing but the clothes on her back. Well, I made Yukari up, so I guess I own one thing. But I do not own Inuyasha or any of the other cool characters. L

Chapter 4

            Sesshomaru could hear the miko's heartbeats quicken, and he knew that she was regaining consciousness. He had been worried in spite of himself; she had slept so long. He mentally shook himself. _No time for weak thoughts now, he said to himself. She's just a human, and after I leave this cursed place I will never think of her again. _A small voice inside him told him he was wrong, however. There was something about this girl…

            Yukari awoke with a pounding headache, which only worsened as memories came flooding back to her. The things she had seen before losing consciousness still lingered. She pulled herself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the throbbing of her head. She drew her knees up to her chest, folded her arms over her knees, buried her face in her arms, and began to cry. 

            Sesshomaru could smell the saltiness of her tears; her grief was almost a palpable presence in the pit. In the dim light shining in from the evening sky he could see the girl's slender shoulders shake with her sobs. He found himself wanting to draw her into his arms and stroke her raven hair until she was comforted. 

            _Why do I think such things about her? he asked himself._ He couldn't stop the thoughts, though. They had just seemed to come naturally when he met this girl. _I must focus on the problems at hand, he said firmly to himself. This girl will not mean anything to me. _

His resolve strengthened, Sesshomaru returned to watching the miko. All of a sudden, she jumped up and began fumbling with her empty sword belt. Sesshomaru could see her eyes glittering in the falling darkness. She pulled out a six-inch stiletto knife that had been hidden in the empty sword sheath! The long knife was very sharp, and the silver metal glittered. She walked slowly over to Sesshomaru, the knife raised in her hand. 

            _What the hell is she doing? he asked himself._

            Yukari saw his eyes begin to glow a deep red, and suddenly he lunged at her. The girl jumped back, startled. She was lucky that he was chained to the wall. If he had jumped a few inches farther she would be dead! She frowned at him, not sure why he had chosen this moment to try to attack her. She stuck her nose in the air and stomped back to her side of the pit.

            Sesshomaru saw her unhappy frown, and could read the confusion in her eyes. Too late, he realized that she had been coming to pick the locks and release him from his shackles. He did feel a little bit bad; after all, she had been coming to help him. He wasn't used to kindnesses from strangers, especially human ones. 

            They waited in a tense silence, each one unsure of the other. Finally, it was Sesshomaru who ended it.

            "What did you see?" he asked.

            "What?" she asked, startled and surprised that he had spoken to her.

            "When Hokkaido touched you. What did you see?" he repeated.

            "Oh." Yukari sighed. "I had a… bad experience in my childhood. Hokkaido was there, and he roused some unpleasant memories."

            "Hmph." he replied. He was uncomfortable again. _Why did I speak to her? he asked himself. That question came out of nowhere. _He noticed that the smell of her grief had lessened, and she had stopped crying.

            Silence reigned once more.

            Yukari looked up at the sky through the opening of the pit above her. She could see the stars, and the sight was, in a way, comforting. Her eyes began to grow heavy, and she curled up on the cold stone floor to go to sleep. 

            Sesshomaru's sharp ears picked up the miko's change in breathing, and he knew she was asleep. He watched her for a while, thinking, before he fell asleep as well.

            When Yukari woke up the next day she could see the sun directly overhead. Sesshomaru was already awake, staring at the sky over his head. He turned to look at her when her stomach growled.

            _How long have we been down here? she asked herself. At least two days, maybe three. I can't remember._

            "How long do you think Hokkaido will keep us down here?" she asked Sesshomaru softly. 

            "I will only remain down here until my wounds are completely healed and my strength returns," he replied. "You will remain down here until Hokkaido decides to kill you."

            Yukari flinched at the brutal reality of his statement. She opened her mouth to respond, but something caught her attention first.

            "Hokkaido is coming," she said in a steely voice.

            "No," a voice hissed. "We are here."

            A cold hand snaked itself around Yukari's neck, and she gasped as she was lifted off her feet. 

            "Now, miko, we will drain your powers and take them for ourselves!" Hokkaido laughed crazily. 

            Yukari spit in Hokkaido's face as one hand crept down to her sword sheath. Hokkaido roared in fury and shook her, still gripping her by the throat. Yukari gasped for air, desperate to stay conscious. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sesshomaru struggling against the chains that bound him. 

Hokkaido's four back claws unfolded themselves and pointed at Yukari's chest. "You will pay for insulting us, miko bitch!" he snarled.

"That's what you think!" Yukari croaked. 

She drew her left hand away from the sheath, clutching the stiletto knife. She 

drew it up in a wide arc, slicing through layers of muscle in the arm holding her. Hokkaido howled in pain and dropped her. She automatically rolled away and quickly got to her feet. Hokkaido was clutching his wrist. All of a sudden he began to laugh. 

            _Oh no, she thought. He's going to reflect himself! If he does I will surely be killed!_

            Thinking quickly, she turned the knife around and hurled it at the demon. It caught him in the chest and broke his concentration; the double that had been beginning to form dissolved. Hokkaido plucked it out and threw it away. He lunged at Yukari, landing a blow across her ribs before she could dodge.

            She gasped for breath, then realized the knife was laying right next to her! She leapt to her feet, preparing to throw it again. Hokkaido saw what she was about to do and disappeared right as she threw it. Instead of striking the demon it embedded itself in Sesshomaru's shoulder!

            "Stupid woman," he yelled at her. "You could have killed me!"

            "Well, it's not like you're useful or anything," she shouted back. "It's not like you helped me out! You just stood there and watched while I did all the hard work!"

            She began walking towards him, intending to hit him for his rude insult. _I am not stupid! she thought indignantly. _

She roughly pulled the stiletto knife from his shoulder and swiftly picked the locks; the chains pinning Sesshomaru to the wall fell away. She stepped back.

            He rubbed his wrists, thinking about what to do next. _She could have left me pinned to that wall, he realized. She knows that's what I would have done. Why did she decide to help me after I insulted her?_

"I hope you don't expect me to return the favor," he said to her over his shoulder. With that he bounded out of the pit with a single, upward leap. 

            "You jerk!" she yelled after him. "I didn't set you free so that you would be in debt to me!"

            She sat down on the hard floor.

            "I did it because I don't think anyone deserves to be left alone to die in a pit," she said softly, more to herself than because she thought anyone was listening. "I did it because I wanted to help you."

But someone was listening; when he jumped out of the pit Sesshomaru had stayed behind to see what the girl would do. His keen demon ears heard very clearly what she said. Her words echoed in his mind.

            _"I don't think any one deserves to be left alone in a pit to die," she had said. _Sesshomaru sighed. _I'm going to regret this, he thought. _He turned around and jumped back into the pit.

            Yukari looked up in surprise when Sesshomaru landed softly next to her.

            "You're right," he said. "No one deserves to be left alone in a pit to die. Not even a weak, pathetic human like you."

            "Why…you…" she sputtered angrily. 

            Before she could come up with a good retort he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her roughly to her feet. He picked her up, cradling her against his chest so she wouldn't fall when he jumped. Thanks to his youkai strength, they both landed neatly on the grass beside the pit. 

            At that moment Yukari noticed the blood staining his white kimono; blood from where she had threw her knife at him. She gasped.

            "Oh no, I didn't know I injured you!"

            "It's fine," he growled.

            "But it's my fault you're hurt. At least let me heal the wound for you."

            Sesshomaru didn't answer, so she took his silence as a yes. Placing her fingers lightly on his temples, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Immediately the air around her changed; it hummed with her power, and she glowed with a brilliant white light. For a brief moment their minds touched, and Yukari sent a stream of healing light energy into his body. Sesshomaru could feel the small wound in his chest heal, and the last lingering ache from the wound in his head disappeared. He felt powerful once again!

            Yukari sensed his healing was complete, so she removed her finger from his head. She opened her eyes, only to find him staring at her. She blushed and tried to look away, but his golden gaze trapped her.

            Sesshomaru stared into her deep brown eyes. _She's beautiful._ The thought came unbidden to his mind. Suddenly he was very aware that he was still holding her in his arms. So he unceremoniously dumped her onto the ground.

            "Oof," she said as the wind was knocked out of her. She stared up at him from her seat on the dusty ground. 

"You… ass!" she cried.

            He ignored her and turned around to walk away. Yukari grabbed the nearest rock and hurled it at his retreating back.

            "This is the thanks I get for trying to be NICE!" she shrieked. 

She found more rocks to throw. One struck him on the head, but he pretended not to notice. He left her there throwing rocks at him and calling him rude names.

 _I didn't know a priestess could have such foul language, he thought. _He quickly pushed all thought of her from his mind and began walking faster.

A/N: Sorry for the extra-long chap. ^_^ Thanks to theMaven, my first reviewer! Yay! You're right, I'm wrong… freakin' _crescent_ moon. You'll have to wait to find out who Yukari is… it's my sneaky way of making you keep reading! PLEASE review, all you people out there. I wanna know what you think. I hope to get a few more reviews before I post the next chap. 

p.s. to the Great Mesa: thanks for being my biggest fan. Roomies Forever! 

Boo yah!!!!!!!

XOXO Sayori


	5. Unforgettable part I

**Disclaimer:** I am a poor college student who owns nothing but the clothes on her back. Needless to say, I am not cool enough to own any of the Inuyasha characters; they belong to Rumiko Takahashi (lucky punk!)

**Chapter 5: Unforgettable part I**

            Sesshomaru had been walking for two days and two nights, deep in thought. He hadn't eaten, he hadn't slept, he hadn't even bathed. He was still wearing the same bloodstained kimono that he had been wearing in the pit. Not that he noticed, or even cared. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of that girl.

            _Damn_ _her, he thought. Thoughts of such a woman are unfitting for a demon lord to have. She is a human, and it is therefore beneath me to have any thoughts about her whatsoever._ But a little voice in the back of his mind told him differently. _She is unlike any human I have ever met…     _

He paused in his walking and sat down under a tree to decide what his next course of action should be. He leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes, forcing all thoughts of the miko out if his head. It was not long before he dozed off…

            He had only been asleep for a few minutes before he was awakened by a husky voice speaking and a sharp object nudging him in the chest. He lazily opened his eyes to find himself partially surrounded by a silent group of ragged, unkempt men. The wind changed, and the stench of sweat and unwashed bodies filled the air. Sesshomaru wrinkled his sensitive nose in disgust.

            _Bandits, he thought. Pathetic. _

            The man in front of him poked him harder with the tip of his rusted sword.

            "Give us your valuables, or die," he rasped.

            Spurred on by their leader's courageous threats, the formerly-quiet bandits began jeering loudly at the strange man before them:

            "Just kill the pansy!"

            "Make him dance, boss!"

            "Hahahaha!"

            "What a wimp!"

            Sesshomaru made no move to obey; he appeared not to hear the man. _Pansy?__ he though, raising an eyebrow.. Who do they think they are?_ Impatient, the bandit leader pressed the tip of his sword deeper into Sesshomaru's chest, breaking the skin. Sesshomaru looked down and saw a few drops of blood soak through the white silk of his kimono. Still he seemed not to care.

            The bandits were confused; why wasn't this man intimidated by them? Frustrated and angry, the bandit leader tried once again. 

            "Come on, you stupid son of a bitch! Hand over the valuables or I'll run you through," he shouted.

            Sesshomaru's steely amber gaze locked with the leader's watery black eyes. This was the last straw.

"You dare to insult the Lord of the West?" he hissed.

Lightning quick, Sesshomaru leapt up and grabbed the bandit leader by the throat. He squeezed hard, feeling his claws sink deeply into the man's flesh. He could hear the other men drawing their weapons, preparing to rush at him. He turned swiftly, still holding the leader by the throat, and raised his left hand; four of the bandits were caught in the stream of the vicious green poison he released. 

The three remaining bandits turned, preparing to flee. He could smell their fear, and reveled in it. He had no intention of allowing them to escape, though. Sesshomaru pulled out his green energy whip and whirled it over his head. He struck first one, then another of the fleeing men; their bodies stiffened as the energy whip cut through their bodies as if they were water. The third man turned just in time to see his two companions fall, and he let out a terrified scream. Sesshomaru struck again, and the whip curled around the man's waist. Sesshomaru yanked on the whip, and it neatly sliced the man in two. Realizing that the bandit leader was dead, Sesshomaru released his choke hold, letting the corpse fall. 

            He stood back, surveying the havoc he had wrought on the bandit troop. For a brief moment he gave a self-satisfied smirk, but it quickly faded. At that moment an image of the miko appeared unbidden in his mind: she was sitting across from him in the pit, her knees drawn up to her chest in a childlike position. A strand of her long black hair fell forward over her face; his fingers itched to brush it back. Moonlight illuminated the tears slowly coursing down her cheeks. For a moment he was back there with her, but he forced the image away. _Strange thought to have while faced with carnage such as this, he thought wryly._

            "Even torturing useless humans is not a sufficient distraction. The girl remains in my mind," he said softly to himself. "What curse has she laid upon me?"

Sesshomaru frowned, and suddenly he had a thought. _If I never see that woman again I will never know why I cannot forget her. I must discover what intrigues me about this human; then perhaps I can return to behaving like a proper demon._

He stalked away, determined to find the girl once more.

**A/N:** I am advising all of you out there that this chap and the next are going to be short and not too terribly exciting. Hey, I'm in a transitional phase, people. I know I say this a lot, but please bear with me.

**Responses:** I love writing these!!!

Serenity971: yea, I made up the mira youkai. It was just a weird idea I had. Thanks for reviewing, I'm soo glad you liked it!

Jochnap: hehehe thanks for the compliment. I feel so special! Thanks for thinking I'm funny!!!

theMaven: indeed, the plot does thicken, and if you keep reading it just might thicken more…. (suspenseful music in the background) hehehe

Lara: oooooh I'm glad you liked it so far. I tried to make it so that Sesshomaru kept his personality, but it was hard. Glad to hear I did okay! Thanks for the review.

Kagome Higerashi: You saved my life! I got a kinda flame-like review before yours and it made me sad. But then I read yours and it made me happy again! Hooray for you, you're my hero!

Tiff: I'm glad you liked my rock-throwing scene. It was so much fun to write! Plus, I think I would have done the same thing in Yukari's situation. Thanks so much for the review!

Marnika: I really do promise that this story will all make sense by the end, including the title. It seems weird now, but the beginning is purposefully confusing. There is a method to my madness, I swear. Just please, bear with me!

LoveLandKiss: I read Depression, and I like it so far. It's good! Hopefully you like my story as well!!! Oh yea, by the way, I felt SO special to be mentioned in your list of reviewers. *Sigh* 

Huntress Kagome: Thanks for the review! I'll read your stories just as soon as I get a chance, I promise!

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

Luv ya'll

XOXOXOXOXO Sayori


	6. Unforgettable part II

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha and Co. However, I certainly wish I did. Think there's a chance that will ever happen? NO!!!!! (well, maybe in my dreams)   
*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *            *          *          *          *          *

~Chapter 6: Unforgettable part II~

            Sesshomaru walked slowly towards her, the sun illuminating his silver hair from behind him. The fiery golden rays of the setting sun played across his skin, matching the golden intensity of his gaze. She stood there waiting for him, anticipating his every move. Her heart beat faster and faster as hormones raced through her body. He reached her at last. They stood facing each other, both unsure. Finally, he reached a clawed hand out and ran it through her hair; she trembled at his touch. She fell into his opening embrace, and could feel his heart race in time with hers through the soft silk of his kimono. He cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look up at him and to meet his fiery golden stare. He bent slightly and brushed a feathery soft kiss across her lips. Her lips burned, and she reached a hand up, twining it into his silky hair. She pulled his lips down harder onto her own, deepening the kiss…

As the sun streamed into the house, Yukari awoke from a fitful night's sleep. She stretched luxuriously, trying to banish last night's dream from her mind. However, it didn't work. She brushed a hand lightly across her lips; they still burned from Sesshomaru's imaginary kiss. 

"For goodness sake, get a hold of yourself. You're acting like a lovesick schoolgirl," she told herself firmly._ I must stop falling all over myself for a youkai I barely know, she thought, especially since he despises humans, and doesn't even know my name! _She sighed, and rolled smoothly out of bed. _It's been four days since I saw him anyway, she thought bitterly. And it's not like I'll ever see him again._ Hoping to drown out Sesshomaru's memory with physical exertion, she grabbed a long sword from the rack above the door and headed outside to practice. 

Rotating her shoulders to loosen the muscles, she knelt down to meditate. Resting her palms on her knees, she closed her eyes; she inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly. She pushed away the sounds of the world around her, her breathing, and her heartbeat. Her mind cleared, bringing her the internal focus she craved. She stood up and tossed aside the scabbard of her sword. The sharp silver metal glinted, catching and reflecting rays from the bright morning sun. Her face was a perfect mask of serenity and concentration; her eyes were still closed. When she opened them again they were filled with a violent hatred as she envisioned the enemies she had to defeat.

_Strike._ She gripped the black leather-wrapped handle of the blade in both hands, drawing it down in a straight line from the top of her head. _Block._Raising the blade in a sweep to the left, she deflected an invisible enemy's sword. _Counterstrike._She swung the sword to the enemy's right side, striking a blow at waist-level. 

_Strike._ She knelt on her left knee to deliver a sweeping blow from the right side of her waist. _Block._ She brought her sword up at waist-level as if to prevent a blow to her right side. _Counterstrike._ Bringing her left foot around, she pivoted, swinging the blade downwards in a diagonal strike to the back of an enemy's neck. 

_Strike._ She quickly spun around, bringing the katana around in a smooth arc to the left; wrist-level. _Block._ Turning in the opposite direction, she released the sword with her left hand, holding it with her right. _Counterstrike._ Feinting to the left, she then passed to the right to land a blow on the enemy's head. 

Repeating the movements as she had been taught since childhood, Yukari defeated hundreds of invisible opponents. Her mind floated as her body performed the techniques automatically; she was lost in the world of strikes and blocks, sweat and aches, muscles in motion and stretching sinews. As she performed the rituals countless times, her muscles screamed in protest, rebelling at the new ways in which she was abusing them. She had never pushed herself this hard before. Finally, exhausted, with sweat streaming from every pore on her body, Yukari collapsed onto the hard-packed, dusty ground. She brought a hand up to wipe the sweat from her eyes, leaving a dirty brown streak, and knelt again to meditate and cool down. 

When she opened her eyes, the sun was high in the sky. She got to her feet, her poor abused body aching already. _I'm going to really pay for this tomorrow, she thought sourly. _Sighing loudly, she limped into the house, emerging with an armful of towels, a clean change of clothes, some soap, and a comb. She walked to the back of her house where there was a small set of heated pools that she usually bathed in. 

Shedding her sweat-soaked clothes, Yukari stepped carefully into the water. As she sunk in to her chin, she sighed in satisfaction as the heat penetrated her body, easing the tension in her sore muscles. Leaning back, closing her eyes, just relaxing and doing something for her own enjoyment; she hadn't done that in a long time. As the ache in her body lessened, Yukari waded out of the water to grab some soap; she lathered the soap into her long hair, then rubbed it on her skin. She dunked herself under the water to rinse, and swam a few times around the pool to loosen her muscles again. Grabbing two towels, the miko wrapped one around her hair and the other around her body. She sat on a sun-drenched rock, enjoying the feel of the sun's warmth on her face, until she was mostly dry. Then she dressed again in a white hakui with flowing sleeves and a loose black hakama; traditional miko's garb. The towel slipped off her head, so she grabbed the comb and began raking it through the snarls in her mid-thigh length black hair. Once it was untangled she enjoyed the way the silky strands slipped through her fingers like water, but it sure was a pain to get all the knots out! Finally she had her hair untangled, so she gathered her bathing things into a pile and left them lying at the base of a large rock. _I'll get those later,_ she thought, feeling very pleased with life. She smiled with satisfaction. _And I finally managed to stop thinking about Sesshomaru! _

Yukari's stomach growled. She rubbed it absently, trying to decide what to cook for herself. She sauntered slowly around to the front of her house, humming a song to herself, intending to go inside and find something to eat. However, as Yukari walked around the corner of her house, she was faced with a very unexpected surprise. 

Sesshomaru stood there in the bright afternoon sun, solemnly waiting. _Waiting for what? she asked herself fearfully._ She took a deep breath, brushed her damp hair out of her face, and walked slowly towards him. He just stood there, waiting for her to reach him. She stopped about three feet in front of him.

Sesshomaru watched the lovely female turn the corner of her house; his sharp ears heard the faint sound of the song she was humming softly to herself, and his sensitive nose detected the faint smell of the soap she had used while bathing. Her long hair was unbraided and damp, tumbling down her back in blue-black waves. She stood straight and faced him, meeting his piercing gaze squarely.

_Say something, Sesshomaru commanded himself._

_Say something, Yukari told herself sternly._

Yukari opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. _What in the world am I going to say to him? _

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_**Author's Notes: **Well, this was basically another transitional chapter. It's one of those that has to be written in order for the rest of the story to progress, but which is not very fascinating on its own. I apologize for that… By the way, I would really like to get more reviews before I post another chapter. If you like the story please let me know, because it inspires me to keep writing! If you don't like it, also let me know and I'll try to fix whatever is wrong with it. Flames are accepted, but constructive criticism is most appreciated. *Sigh* I'm going to get the fire hose……………


	7. Opposites Attract

**Disclaimer: **I am a poor college student who owns nothing but the clothes on her back. If I owned the Inuyasha gang I wouldn't be poor now would I? *sniffle*

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**Chapter 7: Opposites Attract**

            "You look awful," Yukari said, wrinkling her nose at him. "What in the world happened to you?" She stepped closer to him to inspect the stains on his kimono. "Is that blood?" She took an involuntary step backwards, her brown eyes widening.

            "It's nothing," he said gruffly. 

            She narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a moment longer, then turned around and went into her house. She came back out carrying an armful of towels. 

            "Well, I was just going to cook something to eat. You're welcome to join me if you like, but not looking like that. There are heated water pools behind the house that you can bathe in," she said. 

            Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise. _How dare she speak to me like that? he thought. I do not look awful._ He looked down at himself. _Maybe I do need a bath, he admitted. _

He accepted the towels she shoved into his arms and stared in stunned silence.  After a few moments he turned to walk away.

            "Do not think I'm doing this because you told me to. I am doing this because I want to bathe," he said over his shoulder. He stalked off towards the back of the house.

            Yukari watched his retreating back, trying to hide a self-satisfied smile. She walked slowly back into the house, thinking.

            _I wonder why he came back. Not for my good looks and charming personality, that's for certain, she thought to herself wryly._ She recalled the last time they had been together. _I was throwing things at him, she remembered._ She sighed, and began rummaging for something to cook.

            Sesshomaru stripped off his filthy kimono and the sword belt containing the useless Tenseiga, and waded out until the water reached his waist. He splashed water onto his face, and rubbed at the bloodstains on his chest and arms. He dipped his hair in the warm water to rinse out the blood and dirt. He raked his claws through the tangles in his hair, trying to smooth out the silver mess. Hearing soft footsteps approaching from behind, he turned to see the miko coming towards him with an armful of clothing. She blushed, and his keen demon ears could hear her pulse quicken; he could smell the heat of her blood. 

            As the youkai turned to face her, Yukari watched the smooth ripple of muscles flow along his back and shoulders. He was standing waist-deep in the water, and she could see the red streaks that curved around his wrists and forearms. She paused for a moment, admiring the well-defined musculature of his body. Actually, she was more aware of him than she liked to be. Yukari bit her lip and blushed. Without a word she laid the armful of clothes she was carrying on the ground and walked quickly back to the house. 

            As soon as she was out of sight around the house, she ran inside. Still shocked, she leaned up against the wall. _Just like in my dream, she realized._ She sighed. _There is no way I'm going to be able to forget about him now._

            Sesshomaru was surprised at the miko's reaction to him. _She seemed excited by me. But why?_ he wondered. _Is she attracted to me?_ He rubbed the back of his head in memory. _Not likely,_ he thought, remembering the rock she had hit him with. 

             He bent to examine the clothes she had brought him to wear; they were definitely not what he was accustomed to. He looked upon them with undisguised distaste, and then decided to put them on. _At least they're clean,_ he thought, eyeing his filthy silk kimono. _I suppose they will do until I find something more suitable to wear._ He slipped the soft white cotton kimono over his head, and pulled the red haori over it. He then pulled on the black hakama she had given him and put on his own black shoes. The last thing he did was buckle the Tenseiga over everything. 

            By the time he finished dressing, Sesshomaru could smell food cooking from inside the house. He followed his nose around to the front of the house, where he found that the door had been left open. He walked inside to stand in the doorway, curious but cautious. The miko was kneeling by a fire she had built in the middle of the room. She had swept her hair back, and it was tied with a thin red ribbon at the base of her neck. Her skin was flushed with the heat, and she was stirring a small pot over the fire. 

_            Beautiful._ It was the first thought that came into his head, and this time he didn't try to banish it as soon as it came. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, lost in thought. _She makes me feel strange, he mused. She is beautiful, certainly, but there is something else about her that I find fascinating. She is a human, but I have never met a human with such powers._

            Yukari noticed him when he entered, but she didn't bother to look up from her cooking. He leaned against the wall, and she got up to fetch cups and bowls from a cupboard on the wall behind her. She arranged them neatly on the floor, and poured some soup in each of the bowls. Gesturing for Sesshomaru to join her, she sat down carefully and poured tea into two cups. He simply stared at her. She narrowed her eyes and stared back until he capitulated and gracefully sat down to join her.

            She handed him a bowl of soup, which he took and delicately sniffed. He could smell a variety of vegetables, some kind of fish, and another substance he couldn't identify. Wrinkling his nose, he handed the bowl back to her.

            "I do not eat your pathetic human food," he told her arrogantly. 

            "Fine," she snapped.

            He did, however, accept a cup of tea from her. He sniffed that as well, and took a small sip. She began to eat, and as she did Sesshomaru watched her closely, seemingly fascinated by her every move. Yukari flushed a deep red that matched his haori, and ducked her head to avoid his scrutiny. 

            After a few more minutes of him staring at her as she ate, she was too uncomfortable to bear it any longer. "Do you have to stare at me like that?" she demanded. "It makes me really nervous."

            He snorted and looked away. Yukari sighed. "How did you find me?" she asked.

            He looked at her again. "You forget that I am not a mere human. I am a taiyoukai, and it was a simple matter to pick up your scent and follow you here." 

            "But why did you want to?" she asked softly.

            His golden eyes met her deep brown ones, and their gazes locked. He didn't answer her question, but in truth she had never expected him to. Uncomfortable once again, she rose to gather the dishes and to pour another cup of tea. When she sat down again, she noticed that Sesshomaru had turned his gaze to the window. She looked in the same direction, noticing that the sun was setting. 

It lit up the whole sky in a blaze of colors: first a gold the color of honey, then amber to match Sesshomaru's eyes. Pink next, followed by a red deepening to the color of blood, then a violet the color of nothing on the earth. Once the sun had sunk beyond the horizon, the brilliance ended: midnight blue sky, and everything around them took on the dusky hue of the nighttime. Yukari sighed at the beauty of it all, and glanced over at Sesshomaru. He too seemed bemused, and had finally relaxed a little.

_I might as well take advantage of his relaxation while I get the chance, she thought to herself. _She opened her mouth to speak. "Sesshomaru, I…"

He held up a clawed hand, silencing her. "Someone is coming," he said shortly, rising to his feet.

Yukari leapt up and ran out the door after him, pausing to grab her katana from the sword rack above the door. 

When she reached him, Sesshomaru already had the intruder dangling in midair from the front of his threadbare haori. Yukari ran to help him, but stopped when she noticed the youth of the intruder. Instinctively she grabbed Sesshomaru's arm.

"For goodness sake, put the boy down. He's only a child," she yelled. He obeyed after a moment's hesitation, dropping the gasping boy onto the ground. Yukari noticed that her hand was still resting on Sesshomaru's arm, and that he was staring down at it. She yanked her hand away as if he had burned her.

Sesshomaru absently rubbed the spot on his arm where she had placed her hand. When he looked back at the girl, she had knelt beside the boy and was speaking to him.

"Where did you come from?" she asked. "Why are you here?"

"Are you the miko Yukari?" the small boy asked her.

"I am," she replied.

The boy nervously eyed the demon on Yukari's left before he continued. "My village sent me to find you," he said. "We are troubled by a terrible demon, and you are our only hope."

"What about your miko?" she asked. "Doesn't your village have a priestess to help you defeat this demon?" 

"We did," the boy answered, frowning. "But our miko Tachiana was the first person to be killed by the demon. Now it tortures the entire village, killing us one by one." Tears ran down the small boy's dirty cheeks, leaving smudgy clean trails. The child sniffled and rubbed the back of his hands across his eyes. "Just before she was killed Lady Tachiana helped me to escape and sent me to find you." 

Without another word Yukari walked into the house and came back wearing a sword belt and carrying a sack of healing herbs. She slung the sack over her shoulder and slipped her sword into the scabbard of the belt. The boy leapt up and ran down the path to the edge of the woods, where he stopped to wait for Yukari to follow him. Yukari glanced at Sesshomaru, who, she realized, was watching her. 

"I have to go help those poor people," she said softly. 

"Why?" he asked her coldly.

"Because it is what I do," she replied. "I'm a priestess, and it's my duty to help any who ask."

"You would risk your life for people who have never done anything for you and who would probably never return your consideration?" he asked, honestly curious. 

"Of course," she answered with a grin. "You could come, if you wish."

Sesshomaru snorted in disgust. "I do not think it is fitting for a demon lord to engage in aiding pitiful humans."

Yukari sighed. _I'll never understand demons. _"That's fine." _I was kind of hoping he would want to come with me._ She sighed again. _Oh well._ She gave Sesshomaru a quirky grin, and ran off after the young village boy. 

Sesshomaru watched the miko run away into the dark woods. He waited until he could no longer see her, then streaked after her. When he reached the woods he leapt up into the trees. _I do not want her to see that I am following her, he thought to himself. I'll keep her out of sight but within my scent range. _He told himself that he was following her out of mere curiosity; he wanted to see how she would handle this situation. However, the annoying little voice inside his head told him otherwise…

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**A/N: **If this chapter is confusing in any way please let me know. I wrote it before I wrote chapter 6, so there might be something weird about it. Please review! Thanks to all those who did!!! I really want to know what all of you out there think about my lil story. Good or bad, doesn't matter, I can take it. (I have water buckets all ready for the flames!!) 

**Responses:** (my favorite part! Yay!!)

_Serenity971:_ Hooray! I have a reader who keeps reading! I'm glad you like it so far… I'm luck to have dedicated fans like you and theMaven.

_Mourning Fox:_ Hmmmm. Who is Yukari? That would take some explanation I can't give right now. But I promise everything will be explained by the end of the story. Time frame: This story takes place after Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father died, and after Inuyasha's mother died as well. Sesshomaru is Lord of the Western lands, but the whole Inuyasha – Kikyou - Shikon no Tama thing hasn't happened yet. There's like a 9-10 year period between the time when Inuyasha's mom dies and he tries to get the Shikon no Tama (I think) and that's the time in which my story would occur. Thanks for the review!!

_theMaven__:_ You're my new hero. Thanks for the encouragement for my dumb transitional chapters. I really did not like them, but you made me feel better. Yay! Thanks!!!

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **


	8. Yukari's Shadow

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Author's Note: Wow, I'm really sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I have a good excuse though: my laptop got stolen!!! It had everything important on it, including my outline, chapters 8 and 9, and all my notes. So not only did I have to rewrite this chapter from scratch, but I also had to completely rewrite two term papers and two speeches for school. *sigh* Why do people do things like steal? It makes me sad…

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Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, I would borrow the Tetsusaiga from him and use it to hunt down the jerk who has my laptop. Muah ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

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~ ~ Chapter 8: Yukari's Shadow ~ ~

Yukari had no idea how long she had been running; the sun had come up some hours ago and still she was following the young village boy. They had stopped at a few springs along the way to rest, but Yukari could see the young boy wilting. She ran along tirelessly, praying that she reached the village before the demon had a chance to do any more damage. As she traveled she was thinking very hard about something. _Sesshomaru. _He was entering her thoughts more and more often, and Yukari wasn't sure why.

_I've never met anyone like him before, she mused. _She shook herself mentally. _He's a rude, arrogant, insufferable jerk! How could I ever think he's charming? He doesn't have a charming bone in his body! _Yukari, however, found that reminding herself of Sesshomaru's faults did not made her think of him less. 

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was tracking the running girl from a safe distance: close enough for him to be able to follow her scent, but not close enough for the human to be able to see him. He was amazed at the miko's determination; by his reckoning, they had been traveling for about 14 hours. _Most humans would have given up or given out by this time._ He smirked to himself. _If I didn't know better, I would say that she had demon blood._

All of a sudden Yukari stopped running while the boy continued on alone. She had sensed the overwhelming aura of a demon. As she reached the outskirts of the village, she tentatively sent out a thread of her power: the demon was lurking about 100 feet ahead of her, but she couldn't see it. Sesshomaru stopped in a tree directly above her, crouching silently as he concentrated on suppressing his aura; he didn't want the miko to be able to sense him with her powers. He studied her face carefully. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she tested the demon's aura; Sesshomaru could sense it as well.

_It's a dokuhebi youkai, Yukari realized. Very rare, very large, and very intimidating. _She snickered to herself as she remembered something. _Too bad their strength doesn't match up to their impressive appearance. _Allowing her power to escape from the tight hold she usually kept on it, the miko's body glowed with a brilliant white light. She straightened her shoulders and walked swiftly in the direction of the demon. 

Sesshomaru was staggered by the intensity of the miko's power, although he remained outwardly calm and collected. _I had no idea just how much she was holding back, he thought. _He leapt onto the roof of one of the village houses; there was no way he wanted to lose sight of the miko. "It's because you like her," the irritating voice in his head said. "You want to protect her and make sure she remains safe." _I want to do no such thing, he argued. I am simply curious to see how she handles herself in battle. _Suddenly he realized what he was doing. _The Demon Lord of the Western Lands is arguing with himself? I'm becoming as pathetic as the rest of the population, he thought disgustedly. _He returned his attention to the impending battle and resolutely ignored the little voice in his head.

Yukari strolled bravely through the village, her sword poised and her muscles taut. As she rounded the corner of the house on her left, the dokuhebi youkai came into view. _Ew, she thought to herself. That is one ugly demon! _

The snake demon was huge, at least as big as the house it was standing by. Its scaly hide was a sickly orange-brown color, and its body was streaked all over with bright emerald green stripes. When it sensed a large source of pure energy approaching, it turned its immense head and fixed a pair of glowing violet eyes on the miko. It hissed at Yukari, its scarlet forked tongue flicking in and out of its cavernous mouth. 

The miko narrowed her eyes at the demon; she wasn't impressed. As the snake demon slithered slowly towards her, Yukari could see three villagers run away from the corner the demon had trapped them in. _Good. At least I arrived in time to save them, she thought. _

"Demon!" Yukari shouted. The ugly youkai focused its attention back on her. She drew her sword from its sheath, and the sharp silver metal glinted in the bright mid-morning light. "Pick on someone your own size!" 

Without warning the demon rushed her. _Wow! This demon is fast for a creature so large! she thought._ When the dokuhebi youkai opened its enormous mouth Yukari could see sharp fangs glistening; they were at least as long as her katana! She had to dodge quickly to avoid the milky white venom that dripped from razor-sharp fangs. She sighed in relief as the wind created by the huge demon's head passing narrowly by her ruffled her hair gently. _That was a close one! she thought in relief._

However, as the snake demon's head rushed past her, its thick tail whipped around and caught Yukari a blow to her unprotected right side. She flew through the air and slammed against the house far to her left. The sword dropped from her hand as Yukari slumped to the ground. She slowly got to her feet, clutching what felt like at least three broken ribs. _Shit, she thought. Now I'm going to be twice as slow as before. _

Sesshomaru had to forcefully restrain himself when he saw the snake demon's long tail strike the miko and send her crashing into a wall. He breathed a barely-detectable sigh of relief when he saw her get to her feet. "See?" the irritating voice in the back of his mind said smugly. "I told you that you wanted to make sure she was safe." _That is completely ridiculous, he told himself sternly. This Sesshomaru would not waste a single thought as to the safety of a weak human. _"Then why are you so worried about her?" it asked. Not having an answer for that question, Sesshomaru remained silent and returned his attention to the battle. 

Before Yukari had a chance to regain possession of her sword, the snake demon whipped around and coiled its slick body around her. Yukari gasped as she felt the demon squeeze her body; the pressure on her broken ribs was nearly unbearable, and she was having difficulty breathing. The dokuhebi youkai hissed at her again and squeezed tighter. Sesshomaru's breath caught in his throat as he watched the youkai attempt to squeeze the miko into oblivion. "Maybe you should go help her," the voice advised him. _Shut up! he told it. I will do no such thing. _He fixed his gaze on the miko's face: her features were twisted in pain and she was gasping for air. _Perhaps I should intervene, he thought._

Yukari was getting extremely pissed off at herself for allowing herself to get into this ridiculous situation. She threw her head back and released a blinding white flash of her power. The air around her crackled and flashed with lightning-like bolts of fierce purifying energy. The ugly snake demon dropped her abruptly and she knelt on the ground gasping, desperately trying to force air into her abused lungs.

As soon as she caught her breath, Yukari scrambled to her feet and lunged for her sword; she needn't have worried. The venomous snake demon lay on the ground howling in pain: its hideous body was covered in bright red welts, and it oozed blood from all the spots where its body had been in contact with hers when she had released the energy blast. Clutching her throbbing ribs with her left hand, she brought her sword around in a sweeping arc. The miko thrust a wave of her power through the blade, and in response it glowed with a brilliant blue-white light. As soon as the katana pierced the demon's scaled hide it flashed brightly; the demon vanished in a cloud of now-purified silvery gray ash.

The villagers, watching fearfully from their houses, came out swiftly to congratulate the powerful miko on her victory. Yukari modestly brushed aside their gratitude; she had simply been doing her duty as a priestess. The attention made her slightly uncomfortable, and she was painfully aware of the pressure the broken ribs were putting on her lungs.

She left the villagers with instructions to contact her if they had any more trouble. One of them, apparently the mother of the village boy who had come to find her, took her arm and led her to a small hut. The young boy clung tightly to his mother's hand as they walked silently. The middle-aged woman gently pushed Yukari onto a mat on the floor and instructed her to remove her shirt. Yukari obeyed, revealing a bright decoration of bluish-purple bruising and swelling on her right side. The village woman widened her eyes at the extent of the bruising.

"Take a deep breath," she instructed.

Yukari obeyed, but as she filled her lungs with air she was struck by dizzying pain. The woman dipped a cloth in a bowl of water and herbs, and applied a poultice to the swollen area. She wrapped Yukari's body tightly in thick cotton bandages.

"There you are," she said to the miko. "The herbs should ease the swelling, and the bandages should help keep the ribs from moving around too much. However, you must be careful not to overexert yourself until you are fully healed."

"Thank you so much," Yukari replied. "How can I repay your kindness?" 

The woman smiled at her and handed her a cup of herb tea. "Child, you do not need to repay any kindness. It is we who are in your debt."

Yukari sipped her tea and returned the woman's smile. As soon as she finished her tea she felt better, and knew that it had contained herbs to ease her pain. The woman invited Yukari to stay with them for a meal, but the girl politely declined. Her chest ached and she wanted nothing more than a warm bath and a long sleep. She said good-bye to the young boy and his kind mother, picked up the sack she had brought, and walked out of the village as quickly as her bruised and sore body would allow. 

Sesshomaru watched the miko emerge from one of the village houses and walk away in the direction of her house. He followed her, leaping lightly from roof to tree branch when he reached the woods. The girl was limping slightly, and he could hear her breath coming in ragged gasps. _I wonder how severely injured she is, he mused. Nonetheless, I am impressed by the way she handled herself with that dokuhebi youkai. She recovered nicely after that initial blunder._

After about an hour of walking Yukari's side was absolutely killing her, and her breath was wheezing in her chest. _I have got to take a rest before I collapse! she thought to herself. _Settling herself on the shady grass under a tree, she leaned back against the trunk and closed her eyes. _Damn! she shouted silently. I had better start healing soon. I'll never make it home at this rate._ She knew that she had used up a lot of her power fighting the demon, and so it was going to take her a little extra time to heal. Her body was crying out to her for rest, and she could deny it no longer. 

Sesshomaru landed soundlessly beside the miko and carefully unmasked his aura. The girl obviously noticed but only opened one eye; apparently she had recognized his aura and knew that he was there. 

"Hello Sesshomaru," she said softly in a voice that was husky with sleepiness. "What are you doing here?"

He made no reply, but instead eased down beside her with an inhuman grace. Yukari was too tired to be concerned as to why he had followed her to the village. She closed her eye again and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

Sesshomaru detected the change in her breathing as she feel asleep. He turned his golden gaze on the miko sleeping on the ground beside him. _If I leave her here alone she will surely be attacked and killed while she sleeps, he realized. _"I guess you will just have to remain here and protect her," the voice told him smugly. Sesshomaru sighed, resigned. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the tree trunk. 

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Translation: dokuhebi means "venomous snake"

Author's Note: I'm typing this chapter with an audience watching! My dad's kitten Mandy is obsessed with watching the computer. She chases the cursor across the screen, and it's really cute. Just wanted to share that with ya'll. 

I need everyone's opinions on something. Do you guys prefer reading shorter stories where the relationships progress quickly, or do you like slow-building relationships in longer stories? I have two versions of this story planned out, and it can basically go either way from here. So what I need to know is whether you: A) want Sesshomaru and Yukari's relationship to speed up {like 5-6 chapters more} or B) for it to continue to build slowly and grow gradually {like 10+ chapters more}? Please review, or email me, or send me a message on AIM (I changed my screen name, and it's now XOsayuriOX ). I really want to get some votes before I continue writing. Thanks!!!!

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Responses: (Yay!! This is the greatest part!!!!!!!)

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Serenity 971: I know, I hate cliffies too, but I can't seen to stop writing them!! I am so evil… Thanks for the review, I'm so excited that you like it enough to still be reading!

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ThE GrEaT MeSa: woot woot! Roomies forever! I'm really glad you like it, and I'm hereby dedicating this chapter to you. Awesome job, shuhitsu!!!!

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ShortPoet: You liked it! I'm glad that you did, and I also wanted to say thanks for responding to the reviews that I sent you. There aren't many authors who do that, and I think it's awesome!!! Hooray for you!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Mourning Fox: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it so far. Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I promise I'll get back to my regular schedule now. 

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theMaven: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I think Sesshomaru would look hot dressed like that! But think of it more as a combination between what Inuyasha wears and what the mikos wear. Lol. P.s. you're still my hero, by the way! hehehe

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EatingKogepan: Thanks for the review! I'm happy that you liked my story so far, and I hope that you like this chapter as well!!

That's all folks! Love ya'll!!! 

XOXOXOXO Sayori


	9. Sparks Fly, Emotions Bounce

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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. Wouldn't it be pretty darn awesome if I did though? Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?? @_@

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~ ~ Chapter 9: Sparks Fly, Emotions Bounce ~ ~

Sesshomaru was awakened from his doze by a soft noise coming from beside him. The miko had turned over onto her right side, and the extra pressure on her broken ribs was causing her to whimper in her sleep. He reached a hand out and gently rolled her over onto her other side, being careful not to poke her with his sharp claws. Even through the fabric of her hakui Sesshomaru could feel the human girl shivering. _Her skin is like ice, he thought._ He himself wasn't cold, however. The brief physical contact between he and the miko had caused his body to heat up more than he would have liked. _What is wrong with me? he raged silently. I'm acting more like a pup in his first heat than a fully-grown taiyoukai._

Coming to a swift and uncharacteristic decision, he gracefully rose to his feet and walked deliberately into the forest. He soon returned with a large armload of wood, and proceeded to swiftly light a fire near the still-sleeping miko. As soon as he had a crackling blaze started he sat back down on the ground. He folded his arms across his chest and settled himself to wait for the girl to awaken.

When she finally began stirring, Yukari's senses were flooded with the delicious sensations of warmth and companionship. She opened her eyes and they rested on Sesshomaru, who was a comforting presence, surprisingly enough. He was seated on the ground next to her, his arms crossed over his chest and his perfect features molded into an icy mask of indifference. All of a sudden his presence sunk in. _Wait, what is he doing here? she thought. I thought he left when I went to the village. _Confused, she attempted to sit up and ask Sesshomaru what he was doing there. However, at the slightest movement, her ribs began throbbing again and she gasped in shock at the pain that flooded through her body.

Sesshomaru watched the miko stir out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that she was gazing at him in confusion, then he watched as she tried and failed to get up. He heard her harsh intake of breath, and he reached out a hand to help her sit up, astonishing both of them. Her hand lingered in his grasp for a moment, and he marveled at the tiny, delicate bones in her fingers. When she finally released him, Sesshomaru's flesh felt heated, as if the girl had burned him with her touch. "Your body betrays you," the tiny voice in the back of his mind said. _Be silent! he told it firmly. It is impossible to betray that which does not exist. _

"What are you doing here, Sesshomaru?" Yukari asked. At the sound of her own voice, she cringed. _I didn't mean for that to sound so accusing!_

Sesshomaru inwardly flinched at the harsh tone of her voice. "Well, did you expect her to welcome your presence?" the little voice asked. "You don't treat her very well you know." _Not to mention the fact that I am a demon, and humans hardly ever enjoy the companionship of a demon, he thought to himself a trifle bitterly._

He chose not to answer her question, and instead turned his face away. Yukari glanced at his profile, the perfect features set in a stony expression of impartiality. _Set in ice, more like, Yukari thought. _Sesshomaru turned back to face her, and for the briefest of moments Yukari thought that she could see a hint of pain; it flickered in his eyes for an instant, then was gone as quickly as it had come. She wilted inside at the thought of having hurt his feelings. Impulsively extending a hand, she gently squeezed his striped wrist in a small gesture of apology. Yukari waited with bated breath for a reaction and shrank away from him, expecting the worst. Surprisingly enough, he did not jerk away or even retaliate violently as she had expected him to. He merely sat very still: an untouchable marble prince, terrible and beautiful.

Sesshomaru had indeed been a little stung by Yukari's harsh words. Masking his feelings, however, was an action he had long ago learned to perfect. Lost deep in thought, the miko's touch on his wrist had stunned him. But no sooner had her delicate fingers squeezed his arm gently than he felt her shrink away from him. "No doubt she is waiting for some retribution from you," the voice in his head told him angrily. _Does she really fear me so? he wondered. She hides it well. _ He laughed silently to himself, then quickly sobered. _It's strange, but until now I have relished the fear that everyone, human and youkai alike, has had for me. Now I know only pain to think that this lovely creature feels nothing but fear for me. _When the full implication of his thoughts struck him, Sesshomaru sat very still, stunned into motionlessness. _I don't want her to fear me? But of course I do. Besides, this Sesshomaru feels no emotions, least of all pain. _

Yukari was worried that she might have offended Sesshomaru more by touching him than she had by speaking rudely to him. _Maybe it's better if I just keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself, she thought. _

Silence reigned in the little clearing. Sesshomaru glanced at Yukari noticing her face suddenly twist into a strange expression. He could smell her begin to sweat though the evening was cool, and his sharp ears picked up a drastic leap in her heart rate. _She is in pain again, he realized._

_Oh no, Yukari thought. The painkilling herbs in the tea are finally wearing off! I think I have more in my bag, but how in the world am I going to get to them? _

She spied her bag laying about ten feet in front of her, and slowly tried to climb to her feet. When she was assaulted by dizziness, however, she thought better of her actions. Instead she got to her hands and knees and tried to crawl across the clearing. Inch by painful inch she crawled until, breathless and drenched in cold sweat, she finally reached her pack. Yukari laid on her back and stretched out on the hard ground. It seemed to throb in rhythm with her aching chest. She glanced at Sesshomaru, who was staring at her as if she had sprouted a third eye. That was the last straw: she didn't like being in pain, she didn't like feeling helpless, and she did not like being stared at!

"What are you staring at?" she demanded irritably. "Couldn't help me, could you? It's not like I'm injured or anything!"

Sesshomaru glared at her but said nothing; he delicately arched one silvery eyebrow, but did not seem overly perturbed by her comments.

She dumped out the contents of her sack: a few packets of dried herbs, a small clay pot, and three rolls of thick linen bandages. _Oh no! Yukari thought. How am I supposed to get water for the herbs if I can barely crawl ten feet? _She moaned in pain and frustration, dangerously close to bursting into tears. At that moment Sesshomaru gracefully got to his feet and walked away into the forest. 

_Perfect, Yukari thought to herself. I have effectively chased away my only companion, and now I'm wounded, stuck in the woods with night coming, and all alone. _With that thought she burst into tears.

A few moments later Sesshomaru walked silently back into the clearing and set the now-full water pot on the ground next to the fire. The scent of the girl's tears was stronger now, and he walked over to her. _Please, gods, let her stop crying! he thought._ She raised her tear-streaked face to meet his stare, but neither of them had anything to say. Without warning Sesshomaru scooped the miko into his arms and set her down in a more comfortable spot near the fire. He carried the contents of her pack over to her, and sat down within arm's reach; he still hadn't spoken a single word to her.

"Eep!" Yukari said when she felt Sesshomaru's strong arms encircle her; her eyes widened in shock. _He's helping me? Why? she wondered._ When he set her down she realized that the water pot next to the fire was full. She was stunned into silence. _I thought he was abandoning me, and he was actually going to get me water. That's so sweet, she thought._ She stared at Sesshomaru with a new curiosity. _Why would he do something like that?_

If someone had asked Sesshomaru why he had helped the miko, he wouldn't have been able to answer. It had just seemed like the natural response. He supposed it was the tears that had been his undoing. _I can't stand weeping women!_ He had always been that way. It ran in his family. If you placed a crying female in front of any male member of his family they would immediately start falling all over themselves, doing anything possible to stop the flow of tears. It was a weakness Sesshomaru hadn't been able to rid himself of no matter how hard he tried.

Yukari's aching ribs distracted her from pondering the complexity that was Sesshomaru. She rummaged through the contents of her bag, finally finding the packet containing white willow bark, which was an effective pain reliever. She poured it into the water pot and then placed the pot directly over the coals of the fire, which had begun to die down. Once the water started to boil she took it carefully off the fire and let the herbs steep for a while until the water cooled. She sipped the steaming liquid carefully, watching Sesshomaru out of the corner of her eye as she did so. He had again turned his head so that his profile was facing her, and she could see that he was watching the sun set. _He has some sort of fascination with sunsets, Yukari noticed. _

Unbeknownst to Yukari, Sesshomaru was also watching her out of the corner of his eye. He watched her drink the contents of the clay pot. _What is she drinking? he asked himself, slightly alarmed. _He sniffed the air delicately, and recoiled slightly at the pungent odor. _Ugh, white willow bark, he realized. _"What did you think she was going to do, Sesshomaru-sama? Poison herself?" the little voice in the back of his mind asked. He growled slightly at the harsh tone and the sarcastic suffix that had been added to his name. _If I cannot command respect from myself then what kind of demon lord am I? he wondered. _

At that moment he picked up a strange scent drifting lazily towards him, blown along by a light east wind. It was an old scent; at least a day had gone by since the creature had passed; but it was a very familiar scent. _Hokkaido. _His eyes glowed slightly red at the thought of that demon. _I have yet to exact my revenge on him! Sesshomaru raged silently._

Yukari shrunk away from the angered demon lord as fast as her aching body would allow. _What did I do now? she wondered fearfully._ His eyes slowly began to glow as a brilliant scarlet bled into them. His youki crackled palpably in the clearing around them, and she had to fight against her own powers' instincts to rise and purify the threat. She watched him from a safe distance, and was worried when she heard the sound of liquid dripping onto the leaves. Following the sound, her gaze traveled down the length of Sesshomaru's arms and landed on his hands, which were tightly clenched into fists. Blood dripped from wounds where his own claws had pierced the flesh of his palms. Even though he frightened her, Yukari crawled slowly over to the dangerous inuyoukai and, grasping his shoulders, shook him.

"Sesshomaru, please stop!" she cried. The vibrant red slowly drained out of his eyes, but they were focused beyond her and he seemed not to be aware of her presence. She could feel the tension drain out of his body, and he seemed to relax a little. 

Sesshomaru heard the miko calling to him from far away. Her voice brought him back from the edge of oblivion, and he could feel his body relax at her touch. It was all instinctual: her presence calmed him, called to his raging blood and soothed it. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was gazing into a pair of chocolate brown ones. (E/N: kiss her, damn you!!) Sesshomaru read sympathy in those eyes, but it was shadowed over with fear. _Why is she so close to me if she is frightened of me? he wondered vaguely. _(E/N: Hurry and kiss her, you fool!!!)

Feeling detached, Sesshomaru acknowledged the girl sliding her hands down his arm, ending at his tightly-clenched fists. She pried his claws out of his own hands and gasped as blood pooled in his palms and cascaded to the ground. He watched as her fingers, moving gently over his hands, glowed faintly white. The deep wounds in his palms healed almost instantly, and Sesshomaru felt a rush from the surge of power that coursed through his body. His healing complete, the miko opened her eyes. (E/N: Stinky Boy! Should have kissed her…)

_It's dark out here, she realized rather vaguely._ Glancing at Sesshomaru, she noticed that he was staring off into the distance. Feeling slightly uneasy, she laid down on her left side and pressed a hand against her once-again throbbing ribs. _Using more of my power is going to slow the healing process even more, she realized. _ Yukari sighed gently as an exhausted sleep crept over her. 

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was having an internal struggle trying to regain his composure. _I must control my emotions! he raged. Anger is not an excuse for loss of control, and it is unacceptable in a demon lord such as myself. I will not yield to this flood of new emotions, he vowed silently. _He was comforted by this vow; it brought him a feeling of order and control in the midst of a chaotic world. 

__

Sesshomaru was jolted out of his inner musings by a slight tug on his right arm. The sleeping girl had unknowingly reached out and captured the sleeve of his haori. She was clutching it tightly in her fist, and as he gently tried to extract himself from her grasp, she stirred and frowned slightly. Reconciled, Sesshomaru sat very still and allowed her to retain her hold on him.

Listening to the comforting rhythm of the miko's breathing brought Sesshomaru to a sudden decision. _I will not tell her about smelling Hokkaido nearby, he decided. _"Good decision," his mind-voice told him approvingly. "It's better not to worry her. Just let her remain in her peaceful world of sleep for a while longer." Sesshomaru chose not to make a sharp reply to the voice in his head. Although it was definitely trying his patience…

He glanced at the girl; she was curled up on her uninjured left side, her left hand pressed against her ribs in a vain attempt to relieve some of her own pain. She looked young curled up like that, innocent and childlike. Sesshomaru was content to remain beside her, for the time being at least.

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Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I wrote most of it while listening to Rammstein. My roommate is slowly being driven insane by the incessant German headbanger rock…

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E/N (this stands for Editor's Note): these would be the times when my roommate/editor is yelling at me… I couldn't resist putting her comments in!!!

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Responses: (yay!!!)

Arima1: Hooray, you finally read it! I'm so glad that you liked it!! I love the story you sent me, and I've really enjoyed our conversations. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Kashiaga: hmmmmm that's a good idea. Maybe he will carry her back to the house… who knows? (Wait, I'm the author. Shouldn't I know?! Heh heh) I'm happy that you've liked my story so far. I hope that you like this chapter as well! Thanks for the review!

Serenity971: *blushes* I rock?! Well, thank you!!! I hope I get a lot of reviews too… hehehe I'm glad that you like it so far, and I hope that you like the rest of it as well. Thanks again for the review!!

theMaven: I agree with you! I like slow and gradual relationships better. They seem more believable to me. I just wanted some reader feedback. I just wanted to say thank you for continuing to read my story. I'm so happy that you like it enough to keep reading!!!

ShortPoet: You understand the voices in Sess-chan's head!! I was worried that people were going to think that he was going insane or something. But you understood that the voice is his softer side, and his tough-guy exterior is battling with it. Hooray!!!! *throws confetti in the air and does a happy dance* 

LilacRose23: I think you're an awesome author, and I'm overjoyed that you liked my story. I hope that you like this new chapter as well. Thanks for reading!!

See ya next chapter! 

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REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! 


	10. A Bath and a Bonfire

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Author's Note: I couldn't update during my Spring Break, and I feel really bad about not getting a chapter up before I left. So to make up for it, here's an extra-long chapter. 

Oh yea, special thanks go to the wonderful Kashiaga for the suggestion. Many thanks, I used it in this chapter!!!!

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Disclaimer: As kinky as bondage may be, I don't own anyone. Hmmmm. I definitely wouldn't mind tying Sesshomaru up though… (Yes, I am a rabid, obsessed fan-girl!)

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Secret Code needed for interpreting my story:

*** indicates a passage of time, _italicized _words are thoughts, "quotation" marks indicate speech or dialogue, and (parentheses) are author's comments. 

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~ ~ Chapter 10: A Bath and a Bonfire ~ ~

Sesshomaru awoke the next morning to find his sleeve still trapped in the miko's unrelenting grasp. She had somehow moved closer to him in the night, and was now curled up right next to him. He gently rested his hand on her head; his hand was large enough to cover the entire top of her head. _It's strange to think that such a fragile body houses such incredible powers, he thought. Using merely the slightest fraction of my strength I could crush her skull into dust. _That thought made him feel very powerful, but it also made him slightly uneasy. _I cannot lose my control again, he realized. If I do, then who knows what I would do to her? _

He began running his sharp claws through her hair, enjoying the way the silky strands slipped through his fingers like water. He probably would never have done this had she been awake, and definitely not if someone had been watching. But while they were alone, and she was asleep, he felt more comfortable lowering his guard and revealing his emotions. Once she began to stir, however, he yanked his hand away; his features returned once more to their usual bland expression.

When Yukari awoke the first thought that registered was _yuck. _She hadn't bathed in days, and she felt disgusting. The pain in her ribs hadn't lessened at all; they were nowhere near as healed as they should have been. _Guess I overestimated my body's capabilities, she thought wryly. _Gazing around her, she noticed that the sun had risen, and that most of the morning had already been wasted; she should have resumed traveling a few hours ago.

She rolled over onto her back, and as she did so she realized that she was clutching something in her hand. Confused, she sat up very carefully and looked to see what it was. _Oh gods, she moaned silently. _It was Sesshomaru's sleeve. She glanced fearfully up at him; nothing seemed to register on his face. _Oh well, she thought. It could be worse. He could have killed me in my sleep… _She was slightly amused by the situation. Sesshomaru, however, was no longer happy being her security blanket. He yanked his sleeve out of her fingers. 

She offered no resistance to his sudden withdrawal, but he could see the hurt flicker across her face. He gracefully rose to his feet and stalked off; however, he paused as he reached the edge of the clearing. Yukari realized he was waiting for her, so she got to her feet rather awkwardly, grabbed her pack, and followed closely behind him.

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They had been walking for about four hours, Yukari guessed, and her body ached in places she didn't even know she had injured. Not to mention the fact that she was drenched in cold sweat and she was breathing heavily. Her chest was in absolute agony from the blistering pace Sesshomaru set. She had to keep up or die trying; her pride wouldn't let her beg him to slow down. She paused to catch her breath, and as she did so she caught a very familiar sulfur smell. _Hot springs! she silently rejoiced. _

"Sesshomaru!" she called to him. The only sign he gave that he had heard her was the fact that he stopped walking. "There are hot springs in this direction. Do you think we could stop for a little while?" 

He turned to glare fiercely at her. She returned his glare and refused to back down. Finally, with a toss of her head, she turned away and limped off towards the hot springs carrying her pack with her. _I don't care if he wants to stop or not, she fumed. He can just leave for all I care!_ But the irritating little voice in the back of her mind told her that she did care. 

Sesshomaru watched the miko walk away, shocked. He just stood there in utter silence for a few minutes. _She dares to walk away from this Sesshomaru? he thought incredulously. I should just leave her here to fend for herself._ "You know that you won't do that, right?" the voice asked him. Just as he was going to reply he heard a small, plaintive female voice calling to him. He sighed, and walked towards the sound of Yukari's voice.

Yukari was so happy about finding the hot springs that she didn't realize her dilemma until she had already gotten far away from Sesshomaru. _Perfect, she sighed. Now what am I going to do? _"Sesshomaru!" she called sweetly, praying that he was still around to hear her.

Luckily he was, and he responded to her call within moments. Sesshomaru found the girl sitting on a rock beside the steaming hot springs. He raised an eyebrow at her in a silent question.

Yukari blushed a deep crimson and looked at the ground, not saying a word. A very frustrated Sesshomaru was about to walk away when she finally spoke.

"I need help," she whispered. Sesshomaru was stunned. _She's asking me for help? _He smirked. _My, my. She must be desperate. _

"I wanted to take a bath, but… but… I can't raise my arms above my head because of my ribs, and well… Ineedhelptakingmyshirtoff," she said in a rush.

Sesshomaru wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. _She needs help undressing? _Inwardly he erupted in a fit of silent laughter but no emotion showed itself on his face. He glanced at the miko's face: it was bright red and she refused to look into his eyes. _She's not jesting, he realized suddenly. _They were both feeling very uncomfortable, but were both stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the fact that they were disturbed by the situation. 

Sesshomaru slowly reached his hands out, grasped the miko by the shoulders, gently spun her around so she wasn't facing him, and very carefully sliced her shirt down the back with his claws. She gasped as her torn hakui slipped off of her shoulders, revealing cotton bandages wrapping her from armpits to navel. (A/N: You all thought she was naked, didn't you? Admit it! Sick, sick, sick… o_O ) She glared at him.

"I didn't mean for you to do it like that!" she yelled. "Now what am I supposed to wear?" 

Sesshomaru gazed calmly back at her. "You didn't specify how you wanted it done, merely that you wanted it done. I was simply doing as you requested." 

As he spoke he removed his red haori and tossed it at her; now he was wearing only his black hakama and a white under-kimono. Yukari opened her mouth and then shut it again, completely at a loss for something to say. Sesshomaru stared into her eyes for an instant longer, then turned to walk away. She cleared her throat and he turned back around to face her. Her face had flushed even more, if that were possible, and she matched the haori bundled in her arms perfectly. 

"The bandages too, please," she whispered. She turned around so that her back was facing him again.

He carefully sliced through the layers of bandaging with his claws, revealing a white cotton breastband. _Thank the gods! he thought in relief. _He wasn't sure if his poor body could have taken any more abuse. Now that they were both thoroughly embarrassed and uncomfortable, Sesshomaru left and Yukari slipped out of her hakama and waded into the soothing water. She put her hands to her face in an attempt to cool her flushed cheeks. _Could this situation get any worse? she asked herself. _Then she realized something that made her blush even worse than before.

Sesshomaru sat down with his back to a tree and folded his arms across his chest. He was desperately trying to regain his inner peace; the encounter with the half-naked priestess had left him more shaken than he cared to admit. _This will not affect me, he thought. I can conquer this. I will rise above the pettiness of these emotions and come out stronger._

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Her soak in the hot springs had drained most of the tension out of Yukari's muscles, and she could feel that her healing powers had finally begun to take effect. As soon as she felt able to continue her journey she climbed out of the hot springs and redressed in her hakama. She dug a fresh roll of linen bandages out of her bag, and stared at it. _I really don't want to do this, she moaned to herself. _But she took a deep breath anyway, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Sesshomaru!" she called.

The miko's shout shook Sesshomaru out of his meditation. _What, in the name of all that is holy, does she want now? _He got to his feet and walked back to the hot springs. He found the girl sitting on the rock again, her hair dripping and her face flushed, clutching his haori around her shoulders. 

"I need help again," she confessed. She held out a roll of bandages to him, and he took them from her with a small sigh. He walked around her so she wasn't facing him; she dropped the haori off her shoulders. (A/N: yes, she is still wearing the breastband) 

_This will not affect me, this will not affect me, this will not affect me. _Sesshomaru repeated this mantra over and over to himself as he reached around the miko and began tightly wrapping her upper torso in the bandages. He was trying very hard to ignore the compromising situation they were in, but his proximity to the young woman was making it very difficult for him to concentrate. 

_This will not affect me, this will not affect me, this will not affect me. _Yukari said this to herself repeatedly, trying to convince herself that it was true. However, Sesshomaru's closeness, and the fact that they were in a very tense, physically compromising situation, was making it even harder for her to believe it. 

His job finished, Sesshomaru fled as quickly as his pride would allow. His heart was beating so hard and so fast that he could barely breathe; unbeknownst to him, Yukari was having a similar difficulty. _I refuse to allow my body to dominate me! they both thought simultaneously._

The miko let out a small sigh, and put on Sesshomaru's red haori. It fell nearly to her knees, and the sleeves hung well past her fingertips. Giggling at herself, Yukari walked into the woods to find Sesshomaru. When she found him he refused to look at her, and walked away quickly. 

They walked that way for about an hour: Sesshomaru was always a few steps ahead, and Yukari had to struggle in order to keep up with his long strides. Finally Sesshomaru slowed down; it was completely unexpected and Yukari, oblivious, almost ran into him.

"You really are a pathetic, helpless human, aren't you?" he asked her. 

"Wha… What?" she stuttered. He refused to repeat himself and simply narrowed his eyes at her. She had, in fact, heard him; drawing a deep breath, she looked him straight in the eyes, a red flag of rage flying on each cheek.

"I was born a human, just as you were born a demon," she shouted. "I can't help what I am any more than you can help what you are. Perhaps I'm not as strong as you are, or as fast, and my senses aren't as good as yours…" 

She paused in speaking, and when she resumed, it was in a much softer tone of voice. "But the one thing that I can do and you cannot is look past what you are. I can look beyond any differences between us and see you for who you are: my friend."

Sesshomaru was stunned by her words and by the force with which she spoke them, but he hid his shock with a cruel smirk. "So we are friends, are we?"

Yukari had the grace to blush. "Well, I consider you my friend, even if you don't consider me yours," she said softly, looking down at the ground.

Sesshomaru was very surprised, and didn't know how to react to the miko's confession. He chose not to answer her. _Hmm, he thought. I never had a human friend before._ _This could prove to be… interesting. _

Suddenly Yukari had a realization. "Sesshomaru, do you even know my name?"

He glared at her. "Of course I do," he said in a superior, haughty tone of voice. "Your name is Yukari."

Yukari blinked in surprise; she hadn't actually expected him to know what her name was. He had never called her by it, so she had naturally assumed that he didn't know it. Apparently he paid more attention to her than she gave him credit for. 

The walked in silence for another few hours, but this time it was a more comfortable, companionable silence. Although Yukari's body was beginning to heal itself, the hours of walking were starting to take its toll on her. In addition to that, she hadn't eaten in more than a day, so overall she was starting to feel pretty miserable_. I don't want to ask Sesshomaru to stop for food though, she thought. That will just prove to him that I am weak, and I really don't want that. Maybe I could get my own food. Gods, how I wish I had my bow and arrows. That would make this much easier. Oh well. I will just have to make do with what I have. _

With that in mind, Yukari decided to take a brief foray off the path and find a stream or river of some sort nearby. Following a trail of vegetation, she found exactly what she was looking for: a medium-sized river teeming with fish. She drew her sword, waded out into the water, and waited patiently for the fish to become accustomed to her presence. Once they had resumed swimming in the waters around her, she raised her sword, tensed to strike. All of a sudden her sword flashed downwards, neatly spearing a fish. Tossing it to the riverbank, she repeated the process two more times, spearing another fish each time. When she felt like she had enough, she left to find some dry wood to build herself a fire. 

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was lost in his own thoughts and not really paying any attention to the world around him. Consequently, it was some time before he realized that Yukari was no longer following him. _Gods, she is worse than a child, he thought._ Sniffing the air, he picked up her scent and followed it. He consoled himself by imagining all the ways in which he could inflict painful punishments on her for inconveniencing him. Deep down he knew that he would never actually do any of them, but it soothed his wounded pride somewhat to think of them.

He found the miko some ways away, kneeling by a small fire and cooking three sword-speared fish. He couldn't really be too angry with her. After all, he had forgotten that humans needed to eat more often than demons did. _I suppose that I should have fed her, he grudgingly admitted._ She had gone a long time without food, and hadn't even complained once. Now that was a trait that Sesshomaru could definitely admire: stoicism. 

"You are worse than a child, do you realize that?" he demanded. "I cannot even leave you alone for two seconds before you wander off."

She grinned up at him, her face prettily flushed from the heat. This caused Sesshomaru to lose his train of thought and temporarily forget that he was supposed to be acting stern. Instead of continuing to yell at her, he gracefully sat down an arms-length away from her and crossed his arms over his chest.

Yukari ignored his angry scowl and concentrated on cooking: the fish were almost done. When they were cooked to her satisfaction, she took them away from the fire and blew on them to cool them off. She held one of them out to Sesshomaru, who was evidently still ignoring her; when he showed no intention of taking it, she left it on a rock beside him and proceeded to eat her own fish.

When she had finished, she sighed in satisfaction and laid down on the cool grass. It wasn't long before sleep overcame her. 

Sesshomaru glanced at the sleeping girl, and then at the fish she had placed beside him. _I wonder if she will ever stop trying to persuade me to eat, he thought. _A cool breeze blew by, ruffling Sesshomaru's silver hair. It carried with it a familiar scent… the same scent as before. Hokkaido. 

Sesshomaru knew that they should resume traveling, but didn't really want to wake Yukari. He knew that she needed to sleep so that her body could repair itself. He also knew that, with Hokkaido lurking nearby, the miko needed to return to peak fighting condition very quickly. Therefore, having made a decision but not liking it, Sesshomaru gently picked the girl up and resumed the journey towards her home.

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When Yukari finally woke up the sun had set and night had fallen. She awoke feeling very warm and protected: Sesshomaru's arms were wrapped around her, and she was held close against his chest. Snuggling deeper into his warm embrace, she tried to fall asleep again; she didn't want to leave the safety of his arms just yet. Sesshomaru's sharp ears, however, could hear the difference in her breathing, and he knew that she was awake. He suppressed his conflicting desires to either dump her onto the ground or hold her closer, and was able to maintain an outwardly collected appearance. 

While Yukari was feeling at ease, Sesshomaru was growing more edgy. Hokkaido's scent grew stronger with every step he took, and he wasn't looking forward to leaving the miko alone and vulnerable at her home. He knew that he had to return to his lands, though; he had been away for far too long already, and his duties were probably piling up. When Yukari began to fidget, he carefully set her on her feet and continued walking. 

The miko knew that they were nearing her home, and her sadness at the thought of Sesshomaru leaving was suppressing all other thoughts. She caught up to Sesshomaru, and they walked side by side for a while. Intending to ask him to stay with her longer, she opened her mouth to speak, but was distracted by an itching sensation in the back of her mind. The itching grew stronger until it became a burning, and then Yukari recognized the sensation: Hokkaido!

Sesshomaru heard Yukari's sharp intake of breath and knew that she could sense Hokkaido now as well. She clutched at his arm, and he could feel her fingernails digging into his flesh through the fabric of his kimono. 

As they came out of the woods, they met with a horrifying scene which caused Yukari to sink to her knees. Flames fifteen feet tall seemed to brush the sky. Poison gas rising from barbs in the ground mingled in the air with floating ash, creating a thick, hazy gray cloud. 

Sesshomaru glanced down at the miko, and even his cold heart was touched by the flames reflected in the tears that coursed slowly down her cheeks. She drew her knees up to her chest and sat there for a long time, just staring into the blaze that had once been her home. _This is just too much like another incident I can remember so well, she thought. Another heartache, another bonfire, the same demon causing it all._

After a while she looked up at Sesshomaru, who was watching her impassively. His unsympathetic, stoic gaze irritated her suddenly, and she felt her blood boil.

"Does this make you happy?" she shouted at him. "Is this punishment fitting enough for a pathetic human who can't protect herself?" 

She paused to take a breath, and when she began to speak again her voice was softer, and more tears had begun to stream down her face.

"Haven't you ever cared about anything before?" she asked him quietly, not really expecting an answer. 

In true Sesshomaru-style he fulfilled her expectations by not answering her; he turned as if to walk away. This only caused Yukari to weep harder, because she thought she was being abandoned. He wasn't hurt by her anger because he knew that she wasn't angry at him. She is angry at fate for giving her another painful event to deal with. And who wouldn't be angry? he thought. 

It was because of this realization that he came to an unusual and hasty decision: summoning his youki, he concentrated it into a cloud, and then leapt upon it. Guiding it over to where Yukari was sitting, he reached a hand out to her to help her up. Her tear-filled eyes widened in surprise, but she allowed him to pull her onto the energy cloud.

"I thought you were leaving," she said.

"I am," he replied.

He turned the cloud around so that it was facing west: they streaked off into the night, destined for Sesshomaru's castle.

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Author's Note: There has been some confusion as to the voices in Sess-chan's head. No, he is not going insane. The voice represents his softer side, the part of him that wants to give in and fall in love. His tougher, more macho demon side has to fight against it though. And that, my friends, is the root of Sesshomaru's internal conflict: which side will win? (Plus it's kinda funny to picture the Lord of the Western Lands having an argument with himself. . . Are the voices in my head bothering you??)

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Responses: (Hooray for all reviewers! You all are really what inspires me to keep writing!!) 

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Kashiaga: I'm glad that you're happy with my story. I like reading about Sesshomaru falling in love cause it's so unlike him, so now I decided to write about it. And who doesn't love Rin?! She's so darn cute!!! 

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theMaven: Yea, he's a security blanket now. I guess he's just a demon of many uses… But ya gotta admit that the idea of Sesshie being anyone's security blanket is kinda cute. Thanks for the review!

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XOekiOX: *blushes* well thank you for all the compliments!! I'm glad that you liked my story, and I'm very happy that I could initiate you into the world of loving Inuyasha fanfics!!! You know, flattery gets you everywhere… p.s. Steve, I know it's you!!! 

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ShortPoet: Of course he's going to kiss her!!! I loved the comments my roommate made, so I put them in as editor's notes. I'm glad you thought they were funny too! Thanks for always reviewing. You always have such inspiring thing to say, and I really appreciate it.

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Serenity971: You're such a wonderful reviewer!!! I'm lucky to have such kind, dedicated reviewers like you and theMaven. So, in honor of you two, I'm hereby dedicating my next chapter to you!!! Thanks for reading.

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All right, there was another chapter (finally!). Thanks go to all of you out there who are reading, but cookies go to those who review. Hooray! I only post after I get at least 5 reviews per chapter. That's not too selfish, is it?? Maybe I'm just needy. Anyways, please REVIEW if you liked it!!!!!

XOXOXO Sayori-chan 


	11. The Castle in the Sky

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Author's Note: This chapter is hereby dedicated to my first and most faithful reviewers: theMaven and Serenity971. Hooray for you both, thanks so much!!!! Sorry this chapter is so crappy, I promise I'll dedicate a better chapter to you two later on.

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Disclaimer: I am a poor college student who has recently had to replace a laptop. I'm worse than broke, and I own nothing. Needless to say, I do not own any Inuyasha characters mentioned in this story. Well, I guess I own Yukari since I made her up. But that's it. 

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~ ~ Chapter 11: ~ ~

It wasn't long before dawn when Yukari and Sesshomaru arrived at Sesshomaru's castle. Yukari was surprised to find that he didn't live as far away from her as she had imagined. His castle, however, was something that defied all imagination: they arrived just as the rising sun struck the castle from behind; the sun illuminated the white façade so that it appeared as a topping of snow for the mountain on which it was built.

The entire structure was enclosed by an enormous stone wall, several feet thick. There were also guard towers (yagura) strategically positioned along the castle walls. The castle itself was made of wood and covered in white plaster. The exterior was ornamented with cusped gables and windows, and beautifully carved gable ornaments. 

From above, Yukari could see that the castle was built in a spiral pattern around the mountaintop: it was divided into three circles, one inside the other. Stone walls and guard towers surrounded each circle, separating them from the other parts of the castle and protecting them.

The castle's main keep (donjon) dominated the central inner circle (honmaru). It was very well fortified and appeared to be the most well-defended area of the whole castle structure. Connected to all other minor structures of the castle complex via passageways and corridors, it was the focal point of the entire castle.

In the second circle (ninomaru) were several smaller keeps that Yukari assumed were built for things like weapons and combat training, storage, and residential quarters for servants, warriors, and guards. A large training yard was also located in the second circle.

The third circle (sannomaru) was devoted solely to beautiful and extensive gardens. Yukari loved flowers of all kinds, and she was secretly hoping Sesshomaru would allow her to stay long enough to explore all of the gardens.

The castle itself was built at the top of the mountain, so it was isolated from the surrounding lands and enclosed by dense forests. Several villages were built at the foot of the mountain, however. They helped to support the castle above, which in turn afforded them shelter in times of need and protection from any attackers.

Sesshomaru landed his youki cloud on the ground, and leapt off. He then extended a hand to Yukari to help her down, but she was distracted by her magnificent surroundings and wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, causing Yukari to look at him strangely. 

She noticed that he was waiting to assist her, so she placed her hand in his and leapt off of the cloud. As soon as her feet touched the ground the cloud disappeared. She hadn't removed her hand from Sesshomaru's yet when a small toad demon carrying a large staff ran out of the keep's door.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru!" the toad squealed.

He stopped short when he saw the pair holding hands, and his sickly green face went momentarily pale. Sesshomaru saw where the toad's gaze had landed, and quickly dropped the miko's hand.

"This is my servant, Jaken," Sesshomaru said emotionlessly to Yukari.

Yukari noticed that Sesshomaru had reverted to his cold, callous expression and tone of voice, and was stung by it. But she decided to just let it lie for the time being.

"Pleased to meet you, Jaken," she said.

Jaken just snorted and looked down his beak at her. This was difficult considering she towered at least 4 feet over him, but the toad somehow managed to do it. Yukari was offended at Jaken's hostile reception, and Sesshomaru could practically feel the frost radiate from her cold glare. Inwardly he chuckled; it was a glare that he himself could be proud of. 

"My lord, there are many urgent matters that require your immediate attention," Jaken squeaked, conveniently avoiding the miko's icy stare. 

Sesshomaru sighed; it seemed his work was never done, and he secretly wanted some free time to enjoy the young woman's company… while his amusement with her lasted, that is.

"Very well, Jaken," he replied. "Show Lady Yukari to a room… the red room, I think. And send someone to tend to her."

"But my lord…" Jaken began, but immediately shut his beak when he noticed Sesshomaru's harsh glare. He gulped. "Yes my lord, as you command, right away my lord." And with an obsequious bow Jaken scurried into the castle.

Yukari giggled at the toad's antics, then glanced up at Sesshomaru. Feeling her gaze, he turned to face her, only to find her eyes filled with a silent pleading. And there was something else as well… _Is that fear? Sesshomaru wondered incredulously._

"Follow Jaken, he will take you to your room, and I am sending someone along shortly to take care of you. If you should require anything, do not hesitate to ask for it, and if it is possible then it shall be done," he said.

Yukari took a deep breath; it took a lot of her courage to ask him this, but she just had to know. "Sesshomaru, why did you --"

"You will join me after you dine," he interrupted. It wasn't a request, it was a command. 

Yukari's mouth formed an 'O' in surprise, and she was preparing a sharp reply, but Sesshomaru had already begun to walk into the castle. Silently fuming, thinking about all the rude names she would like to call the arrogant youkai lord, she followed Jaken silently.

She followed him as he led her through a spacious entryway, then up 2 flights of stairs, then through a hallway that was lined with doors. Jaken was muttering something rude about a human wench and suffering a disgrace after all his loyal years of service, so she just tuned him out and concentrated on her surroundings instead. The walls were made of some dark, shiny wood, and an air of peace and simplicity dominated the entire castle. 

Finally the two arrived at Yukari's room; Jaken opened the door and waited for the young woman to step inside. As soon as she did, Yukari was awed by the unaccustomed luxury of her room. The opulence inside was a foil for the simplicity outside, yet because the contrast was so great, there was no question of it being over-done. Jaken scowled at the wide-eyed miko and snorted again.

"Someone will be along shortly to baby-sit you," he sneered. But before Yukari could retaliate, the toad had fearfully slammed the door shut. 

Once the imp was gone, Yukari had the opportunity to examine her room more carefully. There was a small red and white shoji screen painted with cherry blossoms in one corner of the room, and behind it was a long mirror. Two small cherry wood chests sat in the opposite corner. Across the room was a large futon; it was spread with a brilliant red silk comforter which was embroidered with a delicate white cherry blossom pattern. The sight of the bed made Yukari sigh in anticipation. She had never used anything so luxurious before, and was almost afraid to sleep with it. In the corner next to the futon was a cherry wood bedside table, and in the opposite corner was a small cherry wood desk and chair set. 

_There seems to be a cherry theme in here,_ Yukari giggled to herself as she noticed the silk paintings hanging on the walls. One was a painting of a tiny bird on a cherry branch, and was fairly simple. The other made Yukari gasp at its beauty: it was an enormous painting of a group of elaborately-dressed women sitting under a cherry tree in full bloom. Upon closer inspection of the painting, she noticed that all of the women had black hair except one, who had long silver hair. _Like Sesshomaru, she realized. _All of the black-haired women were laughing together, but the silver-haired woman was gazing up into the branches of the cherry tree with a sad expression on her face, as if she was seeing something which the others did not notice. _I wonder why she looks so sad, Yukari thought. _

But at that moment the door opened again, startling Yukari from her musings. A young female demon peered into the room, looking confused. Her expression changed to one of relief when her eyes landed on Yukari. 

"Oh there you are," she said. "I thought you might have gone exploring or something."

Yukari was curious, so she sent a thread of her power out, testing the young demon's aura: _kitsune_. Shoulder-length brown hair framed a youthful face; a wide mouth and a small nose gave her a very mischievous appearance. The deep forest green of the young demon's kimono brought out the brilliant green of her enormous eyes. The girl was smiling at her, so Yukari smiled back.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself, Lady," the kitsune said quickly. "My name is Kioko, and Lord Sesshomaru sent me to serve you."

"My name is Yukari; please don't call me 'Lady'," Yukari said, wincing. "I'm not a Lady, I'm just… well, just me."

"But Lady, you must be someone of great importance. Lord Sesshomaru has ordered the entire household to spare no effort in making you happy and comfortable here," Kioko replied. 

She paused, then continued speaking. "Lord Sesshomaru is very handsome, and he is not mated," she said innocently.

Yukari was flattered_. Sesshomaru ordered his servants to treat me with great respect and care? Who would have thought he was capable of such… kindness?_ Then the full implication of the casual comment hit her, causing her to blush.

"NO! I mean, of course he is very handsome," she stammered. "But you don't understand, it's not like that between us. We're friends. Well, what I mean to say is, he is my friend, but I'm not his, because he doesn't really like me, and… oh hell."

Kioko was smiling at her dreamily, obviously not believing a word that she was saying. "Of course, Lady," she said, smiling secretly. 

Then she suddenly snapped back to the real world. "Is there anything you require, Lady Yukari?" she asked.

Yukari sighed at the repeated formality, but decided not to mention it again. "Umm, a bath would be nice," she said.

"Oh, of course, and then you'll want to change clothes," Kioko said, eyeing Yukari's oversized haori. "And after that I'll bring up some food for you."

While she was speaking, Kioko was pushing Yukari gently out of the room. They walked down two staircases and through a narrow hallway, which led them to a back door. Kioko opened the door for Yukari, then led the way to a stone building behind the castle's main keep. As the young demon opened the door, Yukari was hit with a blast of warm, steamy air that smelled faintly of sulfur. Hot springs! Kioko stepped inside and Yukari followed her; she was amazed at the sight of the bath house. 

It was entirely paved with stone, and was much larger inside than it appeared to be outside. There were three large pools of steaming water, which flowed into one another in miniature waterfalls. It began with the smallest one at the top, which flowed into a larger one, which flowed into the largest one of all. Yukari guessed that even the smallest pool could have fit her entire house inside with room to spare. 

"Here you are, my Lady," Kioko said. She moved around the room, pointing things out. "Towels are here, soap and things are here, and here is a yukata that you can wear when you are finished." 

"All right," Yukari said uncertainly. 

"When you are done, just tell the guards outside, and they will come find me," Kioko said as she walked towards the door.

"Guards?" Yukari asked.

"Of course," Kioko replied. "Lord Sesshomaru ordered that you were to be kept safe while you bathed. Perhaps he is planning to join you…"

Yukari brought her hands up to cover her flushing cheeks. "I have no idea what you are implying," she said sharply. 

"Mm hmm," Kioko answered, then shut the door behind herself. 

Yukari selected 2 large, fluffy towels from a rack on the wall, then walked over to the cupboard where Kioko had said soap was kept. After sniffing about a dozen, she finally chose one that smelled of lotus flowers and cherry blossoms. Yukari was alone in the large bathing room, so she took advantage of the solitude and wandered over to the largest steaming pool. She stripped off her clothes and waded into the warm water, sighing in ecstasy as the heat permeated and relaxed her muscles. After swimming a few laps, she soaped her hair and body, then dunked herself a few times to rinse off. She waded carefully out of the water and dried off with one of the towels, wrapping the other around her head to dry her hair. She dressed in the soft white yukata, drawing the sash tightly around her body. Once she was finished, Yukari walked softly to the door of the bathing room and peeked outside; there were two burly bear youkai standing outside the door. Both were heavily armed, and both looked as if they could easily have snapped Yukari in half. She giggled. _Is Sesshomaru anticipating some kind of attack on me? I don't think he could have engaged bigger guards if he had tried._

"Um… excuse me," Yukari said softly. Both guards jumped at the sound of her voice. The three of them studied each other for a moment, unsure of how to continue. Yukari observed that one of the guards had brown hair and the other had black, but other than that they looked very similar_. Brothers, Yukari thought. Or maybe cousins. _Both of them had markings shaped like bear footprints on their forearms, and both wore similar necklaces of bear claws. However, the black-haired one had stripes similar to Sesshomaru's on his cheekbones. Upon closer inspection, Yukari realized that the markings were black tattoos_. Those definitely aren't normal, Yukari thought. Bear youkai don't usually have facial markings. I wonder what they mean._

"My Lady," one of them said. They both bowed, and Yukari felt extremely uncomfortable with the formality of the situation. 

"I'm looking for Kioko," she said. "She told me that one of you would go find her for me."

The brown-haired one bowed again, then left. The black-haired one gave her a wary glance from head to foot, as if he was unsure of her. She gave him a friendly smile, and after a moment's hesitation, he grinned widely back at her, displaying pointed white canine teeth. 

"My name is Kanaye," he said to her. "That was my cousin, Takeshi. Lord Sesshomaru assigned us to watch over you while you remain with us."

"That was very kind of him," Yukari replied. "Although I don't really think I need a guard. I can take care of myself. And by the way, my name is Yukari."

Kanaye looked sternly down at her. Although Yukari was tall for a woman, the top of her head came only to the center of Kanaye's breastbone. 

"One should never take unnecessary risks, Lady Yukari. While I believe that you can take care of yourself, that is now my responsibility. My cousin and I will watch over you, ensuring that nothing keeps you from enjoying your time here."

At that moment Kioko and Takeshi arrived, preventing a reply from Yukari. Kioko hustled Yukari off to her room, with Kanaye and Takeshi following closely behind them. When they arrived, Yukari found a small tray filled with food awaiting her. She ate sparingly, as was her custom, and didn't dare touch the wine. She was completely unaccustomed to drinking it, and didn't want to create a bad impression. _The last thing I need is to get drunk and make a big fool of myself._

As soon as she finished Kioko whisked the tray away and returned carrying the most beautiful silk kimono Yukari had ever seen. It was a deep violet color, embroidered with ivory threads in the shape of chrysanthemums. There was an ivory silk obi to go with it. Kioko dressed Yukari in the lovely kimono, brushed out her long hair, and tied it back with an ivory silk ribbon. After she was dressed, Yukari looked into the mirror; she barely recognized herself. 

"Ahem," Kioko cleared her throat. "Lord Sesshomaru requests your presence in his study immediately." She was smirking suggestively, and Yukari felt herself blush. _I'm going to have to convince that girl there's nothing between Sesshomaru and I beyond simple friendship… or tolerance._ 'Too bad,' her inner voice commented, and she blushed again.

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Author's Note: Woo! Hard work. I'm really sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. I'm really stuck though, and I don't know how to get unstuck. I also should apologize for the lameness of this chapter and the next couple… please just bear with me, I'm begging you. I promise they'll get better. A couple more boring chapters, then quite a few fluffy chapters, then some action chapters. Love ya'll!!

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Responses: (yay!)

Animegirl007: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the story. This is a story about Sess and Rin, I swear, but she doesn't come in for a while. You'll understand by the end, I promise. But they aren't going to be paired up, because I think that taints the relationship between them. I like to keep it as a father/daughter, friend/friend, brother/sister relationship… it's just a personal preference. Thanks for reviewing!!

theMaven: lol I thought that was too funny to pass up… I love Sesshomaru's lines as well. He's just got so much scope for sarcasm and rudeness. I love writing him!! And I'm glad you appreciate him as well. Thanks for reviewing!!

Arima1: FINALLY ANOTHER CHAPTER!!! I know, I know, it took me long enough. And it's crappy. But there ya go. Maybe it'll get better, maybe not. Maybe psychotic killing is just taking up too much of my time. Dang, I need to get a new job… Thanks for reviewing. Luv ya girl!

ShortPoet: lol I had to put the note about the bandages in. I didn't want anyone thinking I was all sick and twisted or anything… hehehe. Internal conflict is just so much fun to write! I like confusing the characters and then bringing everything into focus for them. Thanks for the review!!

Kashiaga: I read and reviewed your story, but I don't know if you got it. I liked the fact that she stuck up for Inuyasha… I felt so bad for him!! Dang bullies… grrr. Lol. Have you updated recently? I'm looking forward to seeing where the story is going to go next!! Thanks for reviewing!

Inuyasha chicca: Sorry it took me so long to update. Writer's block stinks! I try to update as often as I can, but I really have no set schedule. I write when I'm feeling inspired, and I don't write when I'm not. Sorry if I kept you waiting, I hope this chapter isn't too much of a disappointment!!! Thanks for the review!

Dralan: *stares wide-eyed* Please don't come get me!! I promise I'll be a good girl, I swear, just don't make me write more!!! Lol. Here's another chapter for ya, but it's boring so I don't know if that counts. But I'll try to update soon, okay? I agree that he should have kissed her, but good things come to those who wait! *wink* Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Serenity971: Sorry that I dedicated a crap chapter to you guys, but I promise that I'll write a better one and dedicate it to you again. Don't be offended, I didn't mean for it to be crappy. Sowwy!! T_T 

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Until next time, everyone. Please REVIEW!!!! 

XOXOXO Sayori-chan


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